


A Novel Idea

by heyitslee



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bookstore, Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, Fluff, M/M, Remus owns a bookstore, Sirius writes horror under a pen name, The Potters Live, and they're adorable
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-07
Updated: 2018-07-28
Packaged: 2018-12-12 13:52:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11738412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heyitslee/pseuds/heyitslee
Summary: Sirius writes horror, with the occasional help of his two best friends, who are raising a child and therefore worry him sometimes with the ideas they come up with. He loves reading just as much as he loves writing, so the new bookshop down the road seems like to perfect place to go to load his bookshelves to breaking point.Then he meets the owner, who is somehow adorable and hot at the same time, and everything goes a bit pear-shaped.the very late birthday present for my best friend.





	1. hypothetically though

**Author's Note:**

  * For [saverockandemily](https://archiveofourown.org/users/saverockandemily/gifts).



> the chapter titles have nothing to do with the plot  
> they're just memes between me and emily  
> hope you enjoy

Sirius had a problem. No, it wasn’t a problem, it was a Problem, with a capital P. He voiced the thought aloud and received only an amused sigh from James. What a traitor.

“What’s wrong?” James asked.

“The new bookshop down the road.” James lifted an eyebrow.

“You’ve been excited about that bookshop for weeks. What’s changed? Does it sell Fifty Shades?”

“Well, it's not really the bookshop. It’s the owner.” 

“Do they read Fifty Shades?” Sirius groaned in annoyance and threw an arm over his eyes.

“No, you absolute buffoon, he's hot.” Like the terrible friend he was, James started laughing. Sirius lifted his arm to glare at him.

"I'm serious, James! I can't go in there with that man looking like he just walked out of a damn movie. How am I supposed to buy any books when I can't even speak to the person running the place? This is a disaster!" Sirius cried, and flopped back against the chair in despair.

"What's a disaster?" Lily asked as she came down the stairs. Sirius opened his mouth to reply, but James beat him to it.

"Sirius fancies the owner of the new bookshop." Lily wrinkled her nose as Sirius made an incomprehensible noise of indignation.

"I thought we were past using words like "fancy". We're not in school anymore," Lily said as she took a seat next to James, "But nevertheless, Remus is lovely, so I'm not surprised Sirius is interested in him."

"Oh, great, he's kind as well. I've only just learnt his name and I'm already fucked," Sirius said. James snickered quietly, earning a disapproving glance from Lily before she turned back to Sirius.

"You haven't even talked to him? Sirius, you're hopeless!" she said, rolling her eyes. "You're not going to have any chance with him if all you do is mope around. In our house, I might add."

Sirius would have glared at her too if she wasn't so terrifying. And right.

"Well, what do you suppose I do?" Sirius regretted the words as soon as he said them, as Lily sat up straight and looked him dead in the eye, pointing a finger at him and waving it around as she spoke.

"We are going to go over there and you are going to buy a book and whilst you are at the till you are going to strike up a conversation and you are going to-" Lily cut herself off with a large yawn. She sank back in her seat as James gently rubbed her shoulder.

"But we'll leave it a minute because I've only just got Harry to fall asleep for his nap and I swear to God, if he wakes up I am going to prove to him that I can out-scream him any bloody day of the week." Lily sighed deeply. "I mean, I love my son, he's a bundle of joy, the light of my life and I wouldn't give him up for the world."

James caught the vaguely terrified look on Sirius' face and grinned.

"You'll be feeling the same after you babysit a few times."

The three continued talking, now in hushed voices, until Lily decided that her minute had gone on long enough. She then proceeded to stay exactly where she was for another 10 minutes. This was what Sirius had missed since Harry was born; although he wouldn't give up anything for his godson, he loved little more than doing nothing with his two best friends. Now, the family gave him a weird mix of feelings. They were adorable, yes, but a small lump formed in his throat when he thought about starting his own family. He had vowed to never have kids, for fear of doing the same to them as his parents had done to him, but now... he wasn't so sure. 

Lily broke his train of thoughts by finally heaving herself off the chair and bustling Sirius out of his until they were shutting the door behind them.

He braced himself against the late November chill as he walked. A comfortable silence settled between him until Lily made the fatal mistake of asking about his writing. At the mere mention of his latest pain in the ass, he delved into a full-blown rant that could very well have been 10 minutes of incoherent mumbling interspersed with the occasional "deadline", "editor" and "fuck". By the time he finished the bookshop was mere metres away. He stopped in his tracks, the apprehension suddenly rushing back. Lily stopped in front of him and gave him a look. She really had this mother thing nailed.

"It's just one guy, Sirius. The only thing you can do to get rid of those nerves? Walk in there and talk to him." Sirius nodded and, with his heart in his throat, continued walking. 

At the door of the shop, he hesitated again. Lily sighed and reached in front of him, opening the door for him. He followed her into the bookshop, a small part of him hoping he could hide behind her. The thought was pushed out of his mind, however, as he looked around and saw the sheer magnitude of books around him. He rounded the corner of one of the shelves and caught sight of the owner. He'd seen the man first when he was emptying his moving van, but now, close up, he was even more breathtaking.

He looked up at the sound of Sirius approaching and a small smile grew on his face as his eyes lit up. Sirius had to make a conscious effort not to gape as Remus walked up to him and stuck his hand out.

"Hello. I'm Remus. I own the shop." Sirius had no idea how a voice could sound so nice, but he was pretty sure he could listen to Remus narrating paint dry. he took Remus' hand and shook it.

"I know, he replied as he reluctantly let go. Remus' smile faltered for a second and Sirius, realising how utterly creepy that sounded, rushed to explain.

"My friend Lily told me about you." he looked around for her, but she has disappeared, and Sirius strongly suspected she had left the shop.

"Oh, Lily! Yes, she passed me the other day." Remus gave Sirius a searching once-over until realisation dawned on his face. A wave of panic started rising up in the back of Sirius' head.

"You're Sirius, aren't you?" The wave dissipated into relief as Sirius smiled and hummed his assent, not quite trusting himself enough to speak.

"So, Sirius, how can I help you?" Damnit. he asked Remus what he recommended. Maybe now he could learn a little more about this man. Remus' smile widened.

"Well, that depends on what you like. I can't very well recommend you a suspense thriller if you like romance," Remus said.

"I'm up for anything. Show me your favourite books," Sirius said, shrugging. Remus gave him a searching look again as if sizing him up. he stayed deep in thought for another moment before apparently reaching a conclusion, as he uttered a quick "Follow me" and took off towards the next aisle.

He slowed down as he neared his destination, reaching out a hand and running his fingers across the books and muttering the names of authors. Sirius followed, trying his very best not to imagine those fingers elsewhere.

"Ford!" Remus exclaimed and took a book out. He handed it to Sirius and watched with apprehension as Sirius looked over it. Staring back at him was a very familiar cover and a very familiar name.

"Patrick Ford is one of the best horror writers out there. If I'm right in thinking you like horror, and you haven't already read his stuff, I'd say you should start with 'The Grim'," Remus said, still looking carefully for Sirius' reaction. 

In hindsight, Sirius really should have expected to see his own book in a bookshop. However, seeing the book was one thing. Hearing Remus call him "one of the best" was another thing. He once again thanked his lucky stars that he decided to use a pen name. He looked back up at Remus.

"I'll take it," he said. They both moved to the till and Sirius bought his book in relative silence, as usual not knowing quite what to say and not wanting to hazard a guess. Remus didn't seem to mind, ringing it up as if he'd been doing it his whole life. 

"I'll be seeing you again soon, then, shall I?" Remus said as he handed Sirius his book and change, "You know what they say; the first customer is the most regular."

"Do they really say that?" Sirius asked. Remus laughed softly, and as much as he didn't want to leave, Sirius was going to get himself into trouble if he stayed much longer.

"I don't think so. But I still hope to see you here again." That was it; Remus was officially too adorable and Sirius had to leave right now. He muttered "thank you" and left as quickly as he could without looking like he was actually rushing to get out of the shop. As he closed the door softly behind him, he gripped the book tighter, his head swimming with a cream jumper that was a couple of inches too big and a pair of shining, green-grey eyes.


	2. *concerned beeping*, *confused elevator music*, *panicked focusing*

Remus stayed in Sirius' head for the entirety of the following week, but on threat of death from his editor, he reluctantly stayed inside and finished his book.

Once it was done, for the first time in his life, he spent little more than 10 minutes in post-finishing bliss before he grabbed his coat and headed out. The late December chill made him pull his coat a little closer and take a little extra care in his steps. He almost turned right back around at the sudden thought of how awful he probably looked, but it was quickly won over by the longing to see Re- the bookshop again.

It was a very nice place; anywhere filled with books always was. The seemingly random decorations dotted around and the deep red walls gave the shop a homey yet secretive feel, as if you could escape the world in one of the massive armchairs.

As Sirius entered, a bell above the door rang, startling him. He heard someone call his name and looked up to see Remus making his way over from behind the counter. Sirius felt his heart pick up and silently prayed his cheeks weren't flushing. James would laugh his head off if he could see him now. As Remus reached him, he caught a slight breeze, one that smelled of paper, chocolate and earth. Remus stopped just in front of him, fidgeting with the hem of his jumper. 

"Sirius, you returned after all! How are you doing?" Remus asked. He took a closer look and his expression quickly turned to one of concern. 

"Are you alright? You look a bit rough," he said. Sirius offered him a small smile, though he had no doubt that it looked exhausted and probably a lot more like a grimace. 

"Yeah, I've been... getting over a cold," he explained, mentally priding himself on the excuse. Remus' concerned frown deepened slightly and he put his hand on Sirius's shoulder. 

"That sounds awful. I'm glad you're feeling better now." He seemed to have an idea. 

"Do you like tea?" he asked. Sirius nodded, trying desperately not to focus solely on the warm grip at his shoulder. 

"I'm pretty sure I'd bleed the stuff," he replied. Remus gave him a small chuckle. 

"Well, if you don't mind watching the shop for a minute, I'll go in the back and get you a mug. How do you take it?" he asked. 

"Milk, one sugar, please. But you should already know that, shouldn't you? Do your mind-reading powers not go past books?" he quipped. There was that lovely laugh again, but it was offset by the cold loss of Remus' hand as he turned and walked to the back of the shop. Sirius made himself a seat on one of the ridiculously comfy armchairs as he waited. He really had missed this place, not just the man inside. In the comfortable silence, his mind raced with excitement about his book. But he couldn't let himself get too carried away; it was now just a waiting game after all. Then the thought occurred to him that if he had nothing to do but wait, he could come here every day if he wanted to. God, he wanted to. 

Before he could get too lost in his thoughts, Remus reappeared holding two steaming mugs. he frowned at the space where Sirius was left standing until he noticed the man sitting to his right. He sat down in the armchair next to him and set their drinks down on the small side table between them. They each took a sip in silence and sank down further into the armchairs, breathing small sighs almost in unison. 

"So," Sirius said, as he felt a comforting warmth spread to every corner of his body, "you got a doorbell?" Remus nodded as he swallowed his second mouthful of tea and Sirius resolutely kept his eyes from straying. 

"Yeah, I'm in the back sorting out stock a lot of the time, so I thought I'd put it up to make sure I don't miss any customers. Not that there's been many to miss," Remus said, a slight twinge of bitterness to his tone.

"Hey, you've not been open for long. Soon people will come pouring in; you've just got to give it a little time." Remus looked into Sirius' eyes as if searching for some clue that he was lying, then heaved a sigh. 

"Hopefully." He cracked a smile and leaned closer to Sirius. "So, how are you liking Patrick Ford?"

"Loved him!" Sirius lied through his teeth, "I finished the book in about 2 days. I just couldn't put it down." Sirius put as much enthusiasm as he could into his tone. In reality, the book had stayed on his desk for the whole week, untouched, serving only as a reminder of the shop as something to look forward to.

"I'm glad! He's one of my personal favourites," Remus said, grinning. He was going to give Sirius a heart attack if he kept up being this endearing.

"Really?" Sirius got out.

"Really! God, what I wouldn't give to have them signed." Remus sighed again, more wistful this time. "But it's like no one can even find the man. Still, I can dream."

Sirius said nothing and sipped his tea. After what felt like way too short a time, they both finished their drinks and Sirius left the shop with another one of his own books under his arm.

Remus' words swam around his mind. 'What I wouldn't give to have them signed.' Sirius could sign them, but how would he do it without Remus finding out who he was? He liked the friendship they were building and he didn't want it ruined by his job. Would it be ruined? Could he take that chance? He mentally groaned in annoyance, wondering how on earth he even got into this mess.

 

"How on earth did you even get into this mess?" Lily asked after he explained what was going on and why he was in dire need of her and James' help. Sirius sighed.

"My thoughts exactly," he replied glumly. Lily gave him a look. Jesus Christ, she was good at that.

"Well, Christmas is coming up. Have you thought about getting him something?" Sirius' eyes widened.

"Oh God, I haven't. Would it be right to get him something? We hardly know each other. Or is that a reason to get him something? Would it bring us closer, or would it freak him out?" Lily held up a hand before he could say another word.

"Sirius, calm down," she said gently. "How about you sign the books for him for Christmas? I'm sure he'd appreciate it. As for whether it's 'right' or not, I say it gives you all the more reason to use this time to become close enough friends with him that it wouldn't freak him out."

"But how do I sign the books without him knowing it's me?" he asked. The two were silent in thought for a moment, until James looked up from where he was occupying Harry with a brightly coloured octopus,

"I've got it!" he nearly shouted, as if remembering mid-way that he probably shouldn't shout around a baby. Sirius and Lily both looked at him expectantly.

"Sirius, say you're an editor! That way you can say you just have some editor friend who can get in touch with Patrick Ford, plus you won't have to make up some obviously see-through story for your actual job." Sirius looked at him with disbelief, but the more he thought about it, the more he realised it made sense, in the borderline-miraculous way that James' logic usually did. It would explain why he liked books so much, and he already knew quite a lot about what the job entailed. He was sure his own editor would have a laughing fit if she could hear the conversation.

He agreed to James' plan, reassuring himself that if James' plans could help him get in the good books of Lily Evans, then they could help Sirius give Remus a Christmas present. Hopefully.

The shop was closed over the weekend, but on Monday Sirius almost jumped out of bed in his excitement. He got ready in a time that probably broke records for every writer out there and left his house without a backwards glance.

As he reached the shop, he saw something moving in the window. Walking closer, he realised it was a huge star-shaped decoration and none other than Remus was stretching up to hook it on something behind and above the window. Sirius thanked his lucky stars that Remus was wearing his trademark baggy jumper that refused to expose any of his stomach. He really didn't think a heart attack would be a good conversation starter.

Sirius walked through the door and Remus looked over at the sound of the bell ringing. He smiled at Sirius, gave a little wave and turned back to trying to hang up the decoration.

"Need some help there?" Sirius asked. Remus didn't answer, focusing solely on the decoration for a moment until he hooked it on properly and let his arms fall down.

"Got it!" He turned to Sirius. "Well, that bugger's finally up, but you could help put the finishing touches on the rest of the shop if you like." Sirius agreed and Remus opened the box on the floor next to him, revealing an intimidating amount of baubles. He picked the box up and held it out to Sirius.

"If you could just dot these around the shop, that would be really useful," he explained. Sirius nodded, grabbed a handful and set off around the shop, grateful for the excuse to put off the inevitable. He really didn't have any reason to be nervous, but that didn't stop his heart beating a little faster.

Once he had finished, Remus went into the back to make some tea for the two of them. Sirius could definitely get used to this.

"Hey, Remus?" Sirius asked, halfway through his tea. Remus looked up at him.

"Would you like me to get your books signed by Patrick Ford?" Remus almost spat his tea everywhere in shock. After a few seconds of stifled coughing, Remus caught his breath enough to reply.

"You could do that?" he asked, incredulous. Sirius nodded, feeling himself start to grin.

"Yeah, I have an editor friend who can get in touch with him. Count it as an early Christmas present from me." Remus simply stared at him in disbelief.

"It's okay if not," he rushed to add, "I am basically a stranger." Remus slowly put his tea down, stepped over to Sirius and leaned down to hug him. The angle was a bit awkward, but Sirius carefully set his own tea down and returned the hug as best he could.

"I would love that," Remus said as he pulled back, his eyes shining.

"Well, whenever you can, give me your books and I'll get them signed." Remus lit up.

"I, uh, I have them upstairs. Would you mind if I got them now?" he asked, bouncing slightly on his heels.

"Go ahead," said Sirius and Remus was off like a shot. Sirius took a breath as soon as he was out of the room. Hugs from Remus was certainly something he needed more in his life.

Remus came back soon after with a bag full of books, panting slightly as if he'd ran. Sirius thought offhandedly that it was quite possible that he had. Remus handed over the bag.

"I can't quite believe you're doing this. Thank you," he said. Sirius smiled at him.

"See, now I can't get you anything for Christmas. It's not gonna match up to this in any way," he carried on.

"Just get me some food. That's all I ask of anyone." Remus chuckled.

"Noted. And Sirius, you're not a stranger. I'd like to think we're more... close acquaintances. At least. Either way, something tells me I can trust you with my books." Remus' expression turned playfully dark.

"But if anything happens to them, I will hunt you down."

"Yeah, alright," Sirius said, laughing. He gave Remus a wave and left the shop, his heart pounding a mile a minute.

 

On James' advice, he left the signed books at home for a couple of days, 'to make it believable'. When he finally brought them in, he had to take a second at his front door to collect himself, reminding himself that it was only Remus. It did little to help.

Remus lit up as he recognised Sirius at the door and saw the bag in his hand. Sirius held out the bag towards him, but Remus bypassed it and went straight for hugging Sirius. He immediately dropped the books and returned the hug, breathing in the familiar smell of chocolate and paper. After a long moment, Remus pulled back and rested his hands on Sirius' shoulders.

"Thank you so much, Sirius. It means so much to me," he said as he gave Sirius one of the most intense stares he'd ever received. They stayed like that for a long moment. Sirius cracked a smile.

"You're welcome," he said softly. Remus carried on staring at him with an expression he couldn't quite place.

Eventually, Remus seemed to remember where he was and he leaned down to pick up the books, taking them to the counter as Sirius followed him. He opened one, grinning as he read the message on the inside. He then put them to the side and disappeared into the back of the shop, coming back soon after with two mugs of tea.

They talked for what felt like millennia and seconds at the same time. Sirius could seriously imagine spending all of his time here, with Remus and a mug of tea. In a moment of comfortable silence, flashes of a future came into his head and he quickly brushed them off, hoping Remus didn't catch his blush.

Sirius' hand was on the door when Remus called his name. He turned back.

"Would you like to go out for lunch on Saturday?" Remus asked, his expression tentative.

"You shouldn't tell me things just as I'm about to leave. One of these days I won't hear you," he started. "But I would love to go out for lunch." Remus gave him a heart-stopping grin.

"That's great. We can sort out the details later in the week, can't we?" Sirius nodded without hesitation.

"Then I look forward to it." Sirius agreed and left before he could make a complete fool of himself.

When he rang James a minute later, almost hyperventilating over the phone, the man simply laughed. Sirius wondered why he was ever friends with the mischievous prick.


	3. tbh? tbh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one is somehow both dialogue-heavy and dialogue-deficient. sue me, i'm rushing to the next chapter.  
> see if you can notice the chekov's gun's second appearance.

Sirius walked down the familiar path to the Potters' house with ease. He had walked this path countless times, had the way ingrained in his memory next to his name.

The Potters had always been a refuge for him since the very first time he visited, just the second weekend of secondary school. James' parents had welcomed him with smiling faces and had been more kind to him the entire evening than his own parents had been in his lifetime. For one amazing night, he had truly felt like part of a family. Once he had gotten home, he resigned himself to stowing away the memory, to be looked back on late at night in his room, when even his brother couldn't help him. Then James had invited him over for a sleepover. And another one. Eventually, Sirius had started spending more time with the Potters than with anyone else. Although he knew it was true, he always got a thrill of pride when someone called him and James 'inseparable'. It was grounding; it reminded him that he had a best friend.

Sirius was sure that he would be tossed aside in favour of Lily when she and James finally got their act together and started dating, but James seemed determined to keep Sirius in his life. Sirius found that Lily made a perfect addition to their nights out with her almost-supernatural ability to get them out of even the tightest scrapes. And so Sirius, to his surprise and gratitude, stayed a part of the Potter family.

Going over to the Potters' house was something written into the very fibres of his being. He wouldn't change it for anything.

When he finally arrived, he was greeted with the familiar sight of James, Lily and Harry on the living room floor. The three looked up as he walked in with smiles on their faces that grew as they recognised him. Harry shrieked with happiness and reached out his hands in Sirius' direction. 

"Seeyus!" he shouted. Shakily he stood up, heavily leaning on his father's arm, and waddled over to Sirius with his hands thrown up in the air. Holding his arms out, Sirius bent down to catch Harry and lift him up in the air to the sounds of more shrieks of delight. He spun once before lowering Harry down to hold him on his hip as he walked further into the living room.

"Hello, Seeyus," Lily said as he sat down next to her and let Harry walk back over to where his teddy bear and doll were having an epic showdown on top of a fire station.

"Don't even joke, Evans. From now on that is officially my name. Remind me to go get it changed later today," Sirius replied, watching the doll punch the teddy bear so hard it flew over the entire fire station.

"Is that before or after you see Remus?" James asked. Sirius sent him a weak glare. James held his hands up in defence. 

"Hey, I'm not saying it's a bad thing that you're there practically every day. It's adorable, really." Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, alright, Prongs. If you want to do this, I have an absolute litany of tales I could tell about you fawning over Lily," Sirius retorted. He looked back over to the teddy bear-doll showdown to find that they had long since made up and were currently teaming up to rescue a pterodactyl from his burning house.

"Ooh, 'litany'. That's a big word," Lily teased, grinning, "Something bothering you, Sirius?" Yet again, he cursed the day these two figured out he only made use of his writing-induced vocabulary when he got annoyed. 

"I think it is," James continued, mirroring his wife's grin, "We'd better not bring up the lunch this Saturday. He might start singing Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious." Sirius opened his mouth to retort but was cut off by a teddy bear being pressed against his face. He heard Harry's giggles as the bear continued to attack him and couldn't help the smile stretching across his face. Throwing his hands up, he fell back and let out a wail of defeat.

"Ah, you've got me!" he shouted, muffled by the teddy bear. There were more giggles from the toddler currently climbing on top of him.

"Defeated by a bear!" he lamented, putting a hand to his forehead in mock despair. An idea struck him. He laid as still as possible. Harry eventually took the bear away and placed a tiny hand on his chest.

"Seeyus?" Harry asked tentatively. Sirius grabbed him and sat up quickly, grinning. Harry jumped in shock before dissolving into laughter. Sirius couldn't help but join in and soon enough all four of them were laughing uncontrollably.

This was the kind of moment that Sirius could see himself staying in forever.

Eventually, they calmed down enough to take deep breaths without starting to laugh all over again. 

"But seriously, mate," James said as the last of the giggles slowly left him, "You'll be fine. The more you stress about something going wrong, the more likely it is that something is actually going to go wrong. So don't stress." Sirius gave a small sigh.

"Easier said than done," he replied. James reached over and gave him a pat on the back. 

"I know. But hey, I felt the same the first time I went out with Lily and now look at us." Sirius nodded and promised himself that he would not, under any circumstances stress himself out over a lunch with a good friend.

  


That promise was broken the minute he woke up on Saturday. Sirius cursed his imagination yet again for running wild with scenarios in which he made a complete and utter fool of himself. How ironic, he thought, that one of his greatest strengths would be his downfall.

He reminded said imagination to stick to thinking up horror plots that were fictional as he puzzled over his wardrobe. His leather jacket almost called to him from the back of his door. After an achingly long moment of debate, he grabbed it and flung it onto his bed. Rooting through his wardrobe, he grabbed a loose pair of jeans and a black t-shirt and tossed them onto the bed too before heading onto the shower. The water did little to soothe his nerves. He shivered slightly as he dressed - something he suspected was not wholly due to the temperature of the room.

Sirius got to the cafe before Remus and spent a full 4 minutes out of his mind with worry that he'd gotten the plan wrong. Finally, the man walked in with all his jumper-ed glory, looking like the dictionary definition of soft. Sirius tried not to let his gasp be too loud. He took a breath and waved him over. Remus took his seat across the booth from him.

"Hey, Sirius!" he said, smiling warmly. Sirius returned the greeting. they settled into familiar conversation and Sirius felt his nerves start to dissipate.

"So how's the shop?" Sirius eventually asked. Remus immediately straightened up and smiled. 

"Oh, it's definitely going better!" he said. Sirius nodded invitingly and placed a hand under his chin. He listened intently as Remus talked about his new customers, adding chuckles and scoffs in the right places. He remembered what he thought about Remus's voice when they first met - how he thought he could listen to the man narrating paint dry. Now, though, after hearing Remus talk about his shop with bright eyes and constant gestures, Sirius didn't think he could listen to anything else.

"Sirius?" Remus asked. Sirius blinked in surprise.

"Pardon?"

"I asked what you did for a living," he said. Sirius went into a blind panic for a heart-stopping before remembering his alibi.

"I'm an editor," he said, hoping his lie was convincing. He made a mental reminder to kill James the next time he saw him. Maybe after James helped him come out with the truth.

"Oh! So is that how you got in touch with Patrick Ford?" Sirius simply nodded.

"What's it like?" Remus asked, leaning closer. Sirius tried his best not to hold his breath.

"It's fairly boring, if I'm honest," he said. Internally, he facepalmed at how ridiculous this whole thing was.

"Oh, really?" Remus asked. He glanced down and poked at his slice of lemon drizzle cake before looking back up with a grin.

"Ok, forget about work. What's your favourite movie?” Sirius returned the grin as they launched back into discussion. They debated for a while over whether the Final Destination films were meant to be black comedies or not before moving on to how awful Unfriended was.

After what felt like way too little time, in which Sirius was certain they'd complained about the plots of every horror movie in the last 3 years, Remus invited him over to the bookshop. Sirius agreed easily.

The cafe was, thankfully, only a short walk from Remus' bookshop, so they ambled along the street in a comfortable silence. Sirius internally marvelled at how close everything seemed to be in this town. Then again, he thought, he had gotten a house close to the city centre.

After completing their ritual of sinking into the armchairs with a cup of tea, they chatted some more, moving on from horror and ending up doing awful impressions of characters from teen romances. When Sirius finally got up to leave, Remus put a hand on his arm.

“Do you want to come over next weekend? We could order something, have a marathon of actually good horror films,” Remus said, smiling hopefully. Sirius knew he was biased, but he was sure he would be hard-pressed to find anyone who could resist that face.

“Dinner and a movie? Are you romancing me, Mr Lupin?” asked Sirius, smirking.

“We shall see, Mr Black,” Remus replied, returning Sirius' smile. Damn, his was so much nicer.

“How does 6 on Saturday sound?” Remus asked.

“Perfect.” Remus smiled and finally let go of Sirius' arm. As reluctant as ever, Sirius walked to the door. He was halfway through when he heard a shout. He turned to see Remus cupping his hands to his mouth.

“Bring snacks!” he shouted. Sirius gave him a thumbs up and left.

  


The film had been playing for 30 minutes already and Sirius hadn't taken in one second of it. Any hope he had of paying attention had been thrown away the minute Remus sat down next to him. The only thing on Sirius' mind since then had been the man next to him. The now-familiar scent of paper and chocolate flooded his senses.

Something flashed on the screen, accompanied by a sharp jolt of music and Remus jumped a mile beside him. It was only then that Sirius noticed just how close Remus was; his entire side was pressed up against Sirius' and he could feel each breath.

Sirius felt a tight pressure at his wrist and looked down. Remus had grabbed hold of his wrist and was holding it tightly. As another ghost-demon-whatever jumped out, Remus squeezed Sirius' arm again. He looked up at Remus' face to see him transfixed by the screen, eyes wide.

If Remus' hand slowly inched to hold Sirius' fully, and if it stayed there even after the movie ended, well, Sirius certainly wasn't going to complain.


	4. i always forget to fuck plants

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shit always goes down in the fourth one. see if you can spot the chekov's gun going off. it wasn't shot by the person who took it off the wall. also it's not really a chekov's gun. I just like using the phrase cause it makes it sound like i know what i'm doing.  
> im also so damn sorry this took so long! I started school again so I've just had no time to write and when i have, i've been so exhausted that i couldn't even think about writing. but it's finally out! please don't kill me!

Before long, Sirius returned the favour and by the end of January, going over to the other's house became a part of their routine. Lily and James continued to be their usual (both annoying and supportive at the same time) selves and Harry continued to be his usual (adorable) self whenever he went over. Sirius’ book continued to take its sweet time in print.

Sirius and Remus continued to grow closer.

A small part of Sirius had hoped that his more-than-friendly feelings would eventually fade out, but his affection only grew. He could safely say this thing was verging into love territory - something that terrified him completely. He was well and truly screwed.

The path to Remus’ shop was slowly becoming as familiar as that to the Potters’. What was not familiar, however, was the multitude of red and pink hearts filling the window of the shop as he arrived.

“Celebrate Valentine’s Day with half-price on all romance novels!” read one of the signs in neat, looped handwriting. Sirius chuckled to himself before heading in.

Remus smiled as he entered and Sirius returned it warmly. He looked around at the shelves around him, which were just as covered in hearts as the windows. Most of the book spines were pink, and Sirius briefly wondered if Remus had specifically chosen pink books or not. Judging by the romance writers he knew, he leaned towards the latter.

“Hey, Sirius! How are you doing?” Remus asked as Sirius sank into his chair. He still couldn’t quite believe he could call it ‘his chair’, but he was certainly sitting in it enough.

“Alright, thanks, you?” he replied. Remus parroted an “Alright, thanks,” as he went off to get their cups of tea; since Sirius came round so often at the exact same time, Remus had started to get their mugs ready for when he arrived. Sirius even brought his own mug so Remus wouldn’t have to keep using his. The whole thing was so domestic that Sirius’ heart did a little flutter when Remus first came out with their mugs filled in a matter of seconds. Though, of course, the flutter was because of the gift of tea; something to move any Brit. Definitely not because of anything else.

“So, you’re busting out the Valentine’s sales already?” Sirius asked when Remus came back, gesturing to the decorations.

“Hey, you should see the supermarkets. That Asda down the road has had the chocolate out since the fireworks went down. I’ve been holding back,” Remus replied with a teasing smile. Sirius held up his free hand, palm out in surrender.

“Fair enough. Does this mean you’ll be doing a horror sale for Halloween?”

"It always cycles back round to horror with you, doesn't it?" Remus asked with mock exasperation. Sirius opted for a mock glare over a sip of his tea. Or at least, he tried, until some of it went down the wrong way and he sputtered, getting tea everywhere and causing Remus to start laughing uncontrollably beside him. Sirius carefully put his mug down and he could still hear the admittedly delightful sound from where Remus had presumably gone to get something to clean the mess up.

By the time he came back, he had stopped laughing, but a grin still rested on his face. Sirius took the offered piece of kitchen roll with a grateful smile and dabbed at his lap gingerly.

"Ugh, this is not going to look good on the way home," Sirius groaned in annoyance. Remus chuckled.

"Then the only logical step is to stay here until you dry off."

"Is this your ploy to keep me here forever?" Sirius asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Ah, you've exposed my foolproof plan! I shall have to revert to brute force!" Remus cried, raising his hand dramatically and clamping it down on Sirius' arm.

"You will never escape my iron grip!" Sirius snickered. He opened his mouth to reply with an equally dramatic plea, but it was interrupted by the doorbell chiming. Sirius could have sworn Remus sent a glare in the direction of whoever just entered before he got up to greet them.

"Oh, hi, Lily!" Sirius' head snapped up at the sound of the greeting and followed Remus to investigate. He rounded the corner and there was Lily, complete with a pram that looked like it was going to collapse under the weight of the bags hanging off of it and Harry clutching at her hand. The toddler perked up when he noticed Sirius, tugging on Lily's hand and gesturing towards him. She followed his gaze and gave Sirius a small wave.

"Sirius! What a surprise to see you here," she greeted, a smirk spreading across her face. She spotted the wet patch on Sirius' jeans and raised her eyebrows, to which Sirius muttered "Tea mishap." He sent her a weak glare as Remus laughed.

"I think he's casing the place," he said, leaning in conspiratorially. Sirius ignored the both of them and decided to talk to someone who wouldn't make fun of him, or at least, if they did, it wouldn't be about his affinity for the bookshop. He crouched down in front of Harry.

"Hello, Harry," he said. The toddler stole a nervous glance at Remus before replying. He was always shy in the presence of someone he didn't quite know - which was absolutely adorable.

"Heyo, Seeyus." He still hadn't quite gotten the hang of the letters 'l' and 'r'.

"Do you want to come and see some books?" he asked. Harry smiled immediately and nodded. Returning the smile, Sirius stood up and beckoned him over the kids' section, where he took the first picture book he found and sat down on the soft carpet. Harry clambered into his lap as Sirius opened the book and started to read. As he read, it was near impossible not to constantly point out how ridiculous the plot was and Sirius truly envied children's writers for being able to sell something a 5-year-old could write. On the other hand, he supposed that was kind of the point.

Sometime in the middle of the book, Remus and Lily stopped their gossiping and found them. Sirius grinned up at them before carrying on reading. When he finally finished and bowed as best he could to Harry's enthusiastic applause, he looked up to see Lily smiling down at him and Remus giving him a look he couldn't place.

"Again!" Harry said, trying to turn the pages back to the start. Lily took pity on Sirius and bent down to take Harry's hand.

"Come on, honey, we can read some more at home." At the promise of more books, Harry ran over to the pram and Sirius took the opportunity to place the book back on the shelf. He turned back and saw Remus holding out a hand. With a nod of appreciation, he took it and heaved himself upwards.

"See you later!" Lily called as she left and the two men turned to say goodbye. Lily seemed to wink as she closed the door and Sirius looked down and noticed he was still holding Remus' hand. He took his hand back slowly, Remus still staring after Lily and Harry with another unplaceable look on his face.

"Remus?" Sirius asked carefully. He finally looked back and offered what seemed to be a somewhat forced smile.

"Yeah?" Sirius studied him for a moment, wondering if he should ask the question that was on the tip of his tongue. Might as well, he thought.

"Are you doing anything for Valentine's?" Remus' eyes widened in shock, but before Sirius could start to apologise, he started laughing.

"Oh, God, no!" he cried. Sirius smiled hesitantly. Was he denying having something to do or ruthlessly shooting Sirius down?

"No, I'm very much single. The only thing I'm doing is preparing for the chocolate sales the next day," Remus joked. Sirius finally laughed at that, a short bark inching its way through his nerves.

"Do... you want to come over?"

"Of course," Remus replied immediately, his brows drawing together briefly.

"I mean, that sounds like a great idea," he added.

"Brilliant. We can sort out timings a bit closer, can't we?" Remus nodded in agreement and Sirius couldn't help the grin stretching across his face.

"Right, well, I believe we were talking about horror?" Sirius said as he made his way back to their chairs. He laughed as he heard Remus sigh exaggeratedly behind him.

 

Sirius was definitely drunk. No, he was at least drunk. At most, he was absolutely hammered.

When Remus had cracked out the wine to "make a true mockery of Valentine's", Sirius had expected for them to have a couple of glasses, just enough to help Sirius' nerves and let him laugh a little louder at the shitty rom-coms they'd be watching. Now, though, they were cackling loud enough that Remus' neighbours could probably hear them and Sirius couldn't, for the life of him, remember what they were laughing at. 'The Vow' was left forgotten on the screen as they both tried to catch their breath.

After the giggles finally died down, Remus stood up, announcing that he was going to get a glass of water. Sirius nodded, but he only waited a few moments before an alarming thud sounded from the kitchen. He stood up, ignoring the pounding in his head, and made his way over

"Remus, are you..." Sirius started. He trailed off when he entered the kitchen and saw Remus sitting on the floor, leaning back against the counter and smiling up at him.

"Hey, Sirius! I think I fell," he murmured, his words slurred.

"Yeah, I think you did," Sirius replied with a scoff as he leaned over and held his hand out, "Want a hand getting up?" Remus shook his head, grabbing Sirius' hand and tugging on it.

"Sit down with me," he said, the request oddly sincere, enough to push away any hesitation Sirius might have been feeling as he joined Remus on the cold kitchen tiles. They had been sitting just as close only a few minutes ago on Sirius' ratty old sofa, but somehow, under the glaringly bright lights that Sirius knew he should replace for more energy-saving bulbs, it felt infinitely more intimate. Sirius took another drink from the bottle in his hands and, out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw Remus staring at his lips, so he put the bottle down next to him because if he was seeing that, he was definitely way too drunk.

"You have a really nice kitchen," Remus muttered, drawing a quiet giggle from Sirius as he looked around the tiny space.

"I don't think you could call a fridge, an oven and a few... of... those things a really - "

"You have a really nice face." Sirius looked at him in surprise as his alcohol-induced flush went a few shades darker.

"Uh - pardon?" he asked in bewilderment. Remus shifted so he was facing Sirius and leaned closer, enough so the writer could faintly feel his breath on his face.

"You're really, really, fucking pretty, and... funny and kind and Christ, Sirius, I think - " Remus cut himself off with wide eyes and looked down at the floor as Sirius tried to process the words he had heard. He was already thinking of a comment to make about just how much alcohol Remus had had when suddenly, his lips were covered by another pair.

He froze as he stared at the face in front of him, though his eyes couldn't focus due to how close he was. After a moment, Remus pulled away with a panicked and apologetic look as he lifted his hand to cover his mouth.

"Sirius, I'm so sor-" he started, but he was cut off as Sirius snapped out of his stupor and pushed his hand away so he could move forward and kiss Remus again.

Remus sighed happily and quickly returned the kiss, bringing his hand up to thread through Sirius' hair and earning a hum of approval in return. The kiss was, admittedly, messy and uncoordinated, but somehow still gentle and... surprisingly slow, Sirius thought, for two men who were absolutely shit-faced. It was at that point that Remus tugged gently on Sirius' hair and the writer decided to forget all thought as he wrapped his arms around him loosely.

After what felt like way too short a time, Sirius pulled back so the both of them could breathe, unable to hide a smile growing on his face. He finally opened his eyes as he felt the hand in his hair draw away to be met with the sight of Remus biting his lip and looking down to the floor, regret rolling off him in waves Sirius could almost see. His smile fell and he drew his arms back, placing his hand gently over Remus'.

"Remus..." he started, getting only a shake of the head in return.

"I've... I've got to go. Thank you... for having me round," he said as he stood up on unsteady feet. Sirius quickly stood up with him, gripping onto the counter as the entire room swam and a sour taste appeared in his mouth that he was sure wasn't just due to the alcohol.

He watched helplessly, unable to do anything as Remus walked out and shut the door behind him, the click of the lock sounding as loud as a gunshot in the sudden silence. A loud rumble of thunder made him jump out of his skin, followed by the tac-tac-tac of heavy rain against his window. Sirius sighed to himself as he sank down to the kitchen floor again, glaring out at the awful weather. Stupid pathetic fallacy, he thought, should stay in books. Speaking of books - this whole thing felt like a scene from one of the romance novels currently filling the shelves in Remus' shop and Sirius bit his lip as he found himself hoping that, like in those soppy stories, everything would work out okay in the end.


	5. i like flowers too

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's finally done! i apologise to everyone especially emily, for the long, long wait, but i promise i never gave up on this. it got put at the backburner for a while and the longer i left it, the more it felt like this massive mountain to climb rather than what it actually was. so thank you to everyone who's been reading it and i hope you like this last chapter!

The next weeks passed by in a dull blur. No matter what James or Lily said, Sirius couldn't bring himself to visit the shop.

"What could I say? 'Sorry I kissed you back'? 'Sorry I have a massive crush on you'?" he asked exasperatedly one afternoon, throwing his arms in the air before letting them drop with a sigh.

"Sirius, you don't know how sad he is. I go to the shop with Harry, and... it's like he just doesn't care about it anymore. You two need to talk and sort this out," Lily insisted. Sirius shook his head and looked down at his lap, sighing when Harry pressed a piece of plastic cake into his hand and looked up at him carefully.

"You're just making that up to guilt trip me into going there. I highly doubt he cares about me that much," he muttered as he passed the piece between his hands.

"He still makes a cup of tea for you. It sits there on the table until it goes cold and he takes it back into the kitchen with the look of a kicked puppy," she said, giving Sirius a look that, for all he knew, could have been an impression of said kicked puppy.

"Lily, would you stop playing matchmaker when we so clearly don't work?" he asked.

"Oh, get over yourself, Sirius! You can't avoid him forever and you can't expect things to magically sort themselves out!" she snapped, making Harry jump. Sirius stared at her in shock for what felt like hours. She looked right back at him, her eyebrows starting to tilt up before her expression hardened and she stood up, stalking off towards the kitchen.

Sirius watched her go in silence, a wave of guilt taking only one second before it rolled over him. He looked down at Harry as the child tapped his hand.

"Seeyus, gotta say sorry to Mummy," he insisted, pointing towards the kitchen. Sirius sighed and nodded, giving Harry a small smile that was only returned with as stern a look as the child could muster.

"I will, I'll do it now," he assured as he stood, but quickly stopped as Harry stood in front of him and held out another piece of plastic cake.

"Gotta give this too," he explained. Sirius took the piece and ruffled Harry's hair.

"Thank you, Harry, you're very kind," he said before heading into the kitchen where Lily was staring so intensely at the kettle that her gaze might have been what was making the water boil. He stood in the doorway for a moment before walking over and placing both pieces of cake next to her.

"I have a peace offering. It's made lovingly by... Fisher-Price," he muttered to break the silence. Lily sighed and picked up a piece, inspecting it.

"It's a bit dry," she noted quietly. She finally looked up as a grin started to form on her face and she burst into laughter.

"Come here, you daft bugger," she added and pulled him in for a hug, which Sirius returned with a relieved sigh.

"I really am sorry," he said once they parted, "Remus is important to me, but nothing is more important than my best friends." Lily chuckled and patted his hand before getting out two mugs.

"I know. You're important to us too," she said. She sighed again as she put in tea bags and sugar.

"You really should speak to Remus though. The longer you leave it, the worse your chances get of ever making up with him." Sirius nodded as he got the milk out of the fridge and brought it over.

"I'll figure out something," he assured. Lily looked up at him and raised her eyebrows.

"Promise?" she asked.

"Promise," he agreed.

 

Sirius went to bed that night puzzling over what to do. Just walking in and apologizing was probably the simplest option, but he knew he would stumble over his words. He was tempted to write down what he wanted to say, but he knew that if he started, he would take it as an excuse to put off seeing Remus even longer in favour of trying to perfect a speech.

His salvation came the next morning in the form of a delivery. He took the small package to his dining table and opened it, smiling as he recognised the front cover of his new book. He flicked through it as he walked over to his bookshelf, about to put it with his other first editions before he had an idea. A smile made its way onto his face as he sat down at his desk and got out his pen.

Once he was done, he got dressed and headed out. As he approached the shop, a flock of butterflies emerged in his stomach, but he held the neatly wrapped present tighter and pushed the door open. Remus looked up from the counter as the bell rang and there was a moment in which they simply stared at each other, taking in the other's appearance. After what felt like years, Sirius took a deep breath and walked up to the counter as Remus watched him nervously.

"I'm sorry I didn't visit earlier. I shouldn't have avoided you. It's no excuse, but I thought you would be mad," he explained. Remus' eyes widened and he sputtered for a moment before speaking.

"You... you thought I would be mad?" he asked in complete confusion, scoffing lightly. Sirius swallowed and watched Remus carefully to see if he would carry on.

"I... I was the one that... that kissed you!" he said, lifting his hand to run it through his hair. "Out of the two of us, you're the one who has the right to... to be furious!" Sirius placed the present on the counter and reached over to place his hands over Remus' with a sudden burst of confidence.

"I think you are forgetting that you were the one who kissed me first. Then I kissed you back," he murmured. Remus flushed red and looked down at the counter.

"That was just the al- "

"No, it wasn't." Remus looked back up at him, searching in his eyes for any hint of a lie. Sirius took another breath before giving him a small smile.

"Just... think over it. The present is for your birthday, okay? Call me when you open it," he said before turning and leaving the shop.

He waited the next two days with nail-biting nerves. James had given his plan the seal of approval, which really did nothing to help, but at least Lily agreed that it was ridiculous but could work.

"What is it they say? 'If it's stupid and it works, it isn't stupid'," she had said once James had high-fived him. Sirius hoped she was right.

When his phone finally rang, he almost jumped out of his seat, rushing to grab it and answer.

"Happy birthday!" he exclaimed, smiling when he heard Remus's voice on the other end.

"Sirius! I just opened the present and I- Jesus Christ, how did you do this? I mean, thank you, thank you so much, but still, how on earth did you get Patrick Ford to agree to meet me?" the man asked incredulously. Sirius chuckled softly, waves of relief flooding over him.

"I pulled a couple of favours. I didn't even have to convince him to meet you; I told him about you and he lit up when I mentioned the two of you meeting. No need to thank me, okay? It's a birthday present. It's the least I could do," he replied.

"Now, the real question is, are you free tomorrow?" he asked, biting his lip. He had tried his best to remember Remus' usual schedule, but he was still worried that Remus had planned something for that day - they still hadn't gotten back to their usual level of chatting.

"Yes, of course, I'm completely free," Remus replied quickly as the faint sound of a doorbell came through the phone.

"I've got to go, but I'll speak to you later, okay? Thank you again," he said, not waiting for an answer before hanging up. Sirius smiled to himself as he put his phone back in his pocket and he leaned back in his chair with a heavy sigh. It took him a moment to realise that he should probably start at least a basic plan of what to say, which meant staring at a blank piece of paper for 20 minutes or more, going over to the Potters' house, being advised to just be himself, panicking that being himself would put Remus off more than anything and deciding to wing it anyway.

 

"Honestly, Sirius! He already likes you just as you are, so trying to be different to impress him will do the exact opposite!" Lily said a while later, backed up by Harry with an assuring nod. Sirius simply hummed and looked down his tea, stirring it around once more and watching the liquid spin.

"She's right, mate. He's dumb enough to fancy you now, so by showing him someone better you might actually make him realise how much better he could do," James said, a grin coming to his face as Lily rolled her eyes before Harry gasped and tapped his knee.

"Daddy, tha's a mean word! Don' say mean words 'bout frens!" the child protested. Lily hid a smile behind her mug as James gasped and nodded.

"You're right, we don't, I'm sorry," he agreed, hanging his head. Harry looked up at Lily with a smile that turned into a grin as she nodded, and carefully stepped closer until he reached out to scrabble his fingers against James' sides. Both of them started to giggle, squeals of laughter making their way out of Harry as his dad got his revenge. Sirius let his worry melt away as he watched one of his best friends and his son have a full-blown tickle fight as his other best friend watched and giggled along. He sat back and assured himself that everything would be alright.

 

By some miracle, that thought stuck with him on the morning of the day that his plan would take place. No matter what happened, he thought, he would still have his best friends to stick by him. Lily even assured him that she would boycott the bookshop if things went that far south, even though she was adamant that she wouldn't have to. Sirius wasn't entirely sure, but he assured himself that if Remus did reject him, he at least was the type to let him down easy and not hold it over his head.

He paced around his room as he thought of what to wear before deciding he should do the smart thing and follow Lily's advice. He got out a simple t-shirt, jeans and leather jacket, letting himself adjust his hair in the mirror for only 5 minutes before he went to the living room and sat down on the couch, ordering himself not to move until was time to leave.

When that finally came around, he took a breath and left the house, making sure to take the more hidden route towards the café until he ducked into a corner shop a few doors down.

He got his phone out and quickly texted Remus with a simple "how's it going?". The minutes it took for Remus to reply could contend for the worst few minutes of Sirius' life, but finally, the man replied that he was in the café and waiting even though he knew he was early. That was his cue to go up and meet him, explain everything and hope that they would still be friends.

"Wait. What should I call him? Mr Ford is way too formal, but Patrick just... doesn't seem right," Remus added. Sirius chuckled to himself and shook his head as he left the shop and headed towards the café. Of course, it would be fine. It was Remus, the awkward and adorable owner of a bookshop that liked to ramble about books and drink tea. Nothing of that had changed. Sirius just had to remember it. They were friends, close friends, maybe even more if he had any luck. It would be fine.

"You won't need to call him either of those. Trust me," he sent before putting his phone away as he entered the café. He smiled to himself as he saw Remus staring in confusion at his phone, his expression turning to shock as he looked up at the sound of Sirius sitting down across from him.

"Sirius? I... what?" he asked as he put his phone down. Sirius took a breath as he stared down at the - admittedly quite pleasing - pattern on the tablecloth and carefully looked up.

"Well, Remus, I told you Patrick Ford would meet you at this café. Here he is," he said as he gestured to himself. Remus stared at him for a frighteningly tense moment before he started to frown.

"If this is some joke, it's not funny. Tell me what's going on," he said, already moving his chair back, stopping only when Sirius held his hands up.

"I promise you, no joke. In fact, the funny thing about this is how stupid I've been, so please, hear me out," he insisted. Remus pursed his lips but stopped his movements, raising an expectant eyebrow.

"Listen... you remember I told you I was an editor? That... I'm not going to sugar-coat it, it was a lie, but it was only because I was too nervous to tell you that I was actually a horror writer, writing under the pen name Patrick Ford. Then, after Valentine's Day, I realised I didn't want to lie to you anymore. I know this was a stupid plan, when I should have just told you when I visited the shop, but James' flair for the dramatic has been a bad influence on me after all these years so... here we are. I hope you can forgive me for lying and for... for kissing you back that night," he said, trailing off at the last sentence. Remus looked over him carefully, so carefully that Sirius felt like he had taken out his soul and was dissecting it on the table in front of them.

"Why didn't you tell me that first day we met?" he asked quietly. Sirius sighed and glanced down again at the table, spotting that first edition that he told Remus to bring so that 'Patrick' would know who to sit with.

"You seemed to like Patrick Ford so much... I just felt like... you would be disappointed by... the real me," he admitted. Remus's look softened, but his nod was formal.

"Why did you kiss me back that night?" he asked, even quieter, enough so that Sirius wondered if he had heard right. He held his breath for a second, knowing everything could come crashing down around him with his next words. Every second he didn't speak, though, was a second that put both of them in agony, so he wasted no more time in giving Remus a small smile.

"Because I really like you, Remus. I was drunk, and I thought that you kissing me meant that you liked me too, but because I was drunk I decided that instead of doing the intelligent thing and actually talking to you, I would just... kiss you," he said before tilting his head slightly.

"Why did you kiss me?" Remus's eyes went wide and he started to flush a light pink. After a moment, though he matched the small smile.

"Because I really like you, but I was drunk, so I decided that instead of doing the intelligent thing and telling you, I would just kiss you," he muttered. Sirius felt his heart swell as if it were about to burst and he let his smile widen.

"This really was a stupid plan," Remus said as his own smile widened, "A crazy, needlessly dramatic, completely endearingly stupid plan." Sirius held up his hand again as he felt his heart speed up to an erratic pace.

"There's one more part of it," he admitted. Remus moved his chair closer and tilted his head in curiosity.

"I was also going to ask you if you would like to go out to dinner and a movie next weekend. This time, Mr Lupin, I am romancing you," he said as he let his hand drop to the table. Remus smiled and reached over to take it.

"Now that sounds like a perfect plan."


End file.
